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Few sports can captivate an audience through 45 minutes of ceremony before the initial score is even decided.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a compact earthen circle - largely unaltered for centuries - succeeded in doing so.

Discover the Grand Sumo Tournament

This multi-day tournament at the Royal Albert Hall features numerous elite sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to ancient times.

London's historic performance space has been totally redesigned, complete with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof hanging above the competition area.

Time-Honored Rituals Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the competitors, known as rikishi, perform their foot stomping to drive away negative energies, and where they applaud to get the attention of the divine beings.

Above all this traditional ritual, a enormous circular monitor - that would fit perfectly at an American basketball game - offers the crowd all the data and video they could want.

International Enthusiasts Embrace Sumo

For an enthusiastic follower, it was a "random video" that first drew her interest a couple of years ago.

This was quickly followed by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for rikishi houses, where athletes reside and practice, waking up early to practice, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an midday rest - all in the effort toward increasing mass.

Hailing from Scotland, Different Experience

Julia and her partner Cezar discovered sumo through a conventional method: a visit to the country six years ago.

"We approached it as a common sightseeing event, but we actually developed passion for the sport," says Julia.

"Subsequently, we tried to locate groups, materials, just to expand our knowledge about it," the other fan explains.

Unique Chance

Visiting the homeland is almost the only way to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This London competition marks only the second instance the tournament has appeared in the capital - the first time was in the early nineties.

Even going to Japan isn't a guarantee of getting a seat, with current times seeing fully attended competitions.

Live Observation

For multiple fans, the current event represents the premier chance they have seen live sumo - and it lives up to the hype.

"Watching nearby, you get a understanding of quickness and the strength which you can't experience on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their stature is remarkable."

The Competition

To succeed, one competitor needs to force his opponent from the dohyō or to the floor using brute strength.

The primary group use one of pair of techniques to succeed in this, often in instantaneous actions - thrusting, or grappling.

Either way, the noise of the two rikishi meeting in the initial contact of the match resounds around the hall.

Prime Locations

The cushions right next to the dohyō are of course highly prized - but also, potentially hazardous.

During one particular match, a large wrestler tumbled into the spectators - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats experience comfort.

Internal Challenges

Of course, the stature of the athletes is one of the initial aspects most people think of when they contemplate wrestling.

The venue's management revealed they "needed to find and purchase additional seating which can take up to 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its successful competitions - is not without its difficulties behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a sumo wrestler doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its following among the younger generation is also being competed with by different athletic pursuits, while Japan's decreasing numbers will create further complications.

International Network

Not that any of this has concerned enthusiasts in London.

"Seeing all this custom and formality that goes with sumo is especially significant," an attendee explains. "Currently, observing it directly, you experience being you are more engaged."

For other committed supporters, the intensity "produced unforgettable moments" - as did interacting with the fellow enthusiasts.

"Getting out of a very niche online community and being able to witness multiple sumo fans directly and being able to speak to other people who are similarly enthusiastic as we are - it was worth every penny."